BBC’s Paul Wood in a BBC broadcast (1.11.17): “The details of what are alleged to have taken place in a Moscow hotel room with a group of prostitutes would certainly damage even someone with Mr. Trump’s sexual history. The claims are in a report commissioned by am opposition research company funded by a Democratic Party donor, but it was actually written by a former MI6 officer. He spoke to members of the Russian security service, the FSB, and they told him there was a blackmail tape.

“Needless to say no one has seen it, but the former MI6 agent is not the only source for the claims about Russian kompromat, or compromising material, on the President elect.

“Back in August a retired spy told me he’d been informed of its existence by the head of an East European intelligence agency. Later I used an intermediary to pass some questions to active duty CIA officers dealing with the case file. They would’t speak to me directly. I got a message back that there was more than one tape, audio and video, on more than one date and [in] more than one place — in the Ritz Carlton in Moscow and also in St. Petersburg.

“The compramat claims were credible, the CIA believed. That’s why they ended up on President Obama‘s desk last week, and [were sent also to] Congressional leaders and to Mr. Trump himself.”

Woods’ report begins around the 5:00 mark.